| Situation | Examination needed |
|---|---|
| New equipment with a declaration of conformity made in the last 12 months, not installed on site | Not before first use; periodic intervals then apply |
| Used equipment from another business, with evidence of its last examination | Not before first use; the next examination is due when that report says |
| Equipment whose safety depends on installation or assembly | After installation and before first use, and at each new site |
| Equipment that lifts people, and lifting accessories | At least every 6 months, or as a written scheme sets |
| All other lifting equipment | At least every 12 months, or as a written scheme sets |
| After damage, overload, modification or a near miss | Before it is used again |
| Hired equipment arriving on site | Must come with evidence of its last examination |
Can equipment be used without a current examination?
Not lawfully. LOLER Regulation 9 requires lifting equipment to be thoroughly examined at least every six months if it lifts people or is a lifting accessory, and at least every twelve months otherwise, unless a written scheme of examination sets different intervals. Equipment used beyond its date is being used in breach of that duty. Where a report has identified a dangerous defect, Regulation 10 also requires the duty-holder to make sure the equipment is not used until the defect is put right.
Is there a grace period after the due date?
No. The intervals are maximums. Booking the examination a few weeks late does not make the gap lawful, and nothing in LOLER allows equipment to keep running while you wait for a visit. The practical answer is to book examinations before they fall due, which is what reminders are for.
What is the duty-holder exposed to?
Using lifting equipment without a current Thorough Examination exposes the duty-holder to enforcement action — an Improvement Notice, Prohibition Notice or prosecution — and, separately, leaves insurer cover in doubt. Who serves that notice depends on your premises: HSE for factories, construction and hospitals, your local authority's environmental health team for offices, shops, most warehousing, hotels and leisure.
How do you bring lapsed plant back into service?
Take it out of use and make that obvious: isolate it, tag it, and for a passenger lift put a notice on every landing. Look for the last report, because it tells the examiner what was found before. Book the thorough examination and say that it is overdue. Any defect the examination finds must then be put right within the timescale on the report, and before further use if the report says the equipment is unsafe.
What about hired equipment?
LOLER Regulation 9(4) requires lifting equipment that comes from another business, as hired plant does, to be accompanied by physical evidence that its last thorough examination has been carried out. Check that evidence before the equipment is used, and check the date. If the hire runs past the next due date, the examination still has to happen, so agree with the hire company in advance who arranges it.
What about new equipment?
New equipment supplied with a declaration of conformity made in the twelve months before it goes into service does not need a thorough examination before first use, unless its safety depends on how it is installed or assembled on site. Tower cranes and construction hoists assembled on site usually do; a new sling or a new forklift delivered ready to use usually does not. After that, the periodic intervals run from the date it goes into service.
Sources & Further Reading
Independent inspection, same-day report with photos
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